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Mercedes-Benz unveils plug-in hybrid Concept IAA: Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile; Industry 4.0

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Mercedes-Benz unveiled the “Concept IAA” (Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile) at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The study switches automatically from a four-door coupé with a fascinating design to an aerodynamic world record breaker with a Cd figure of 0.19 Earlier post.). The aerodynamics were developed with numerical flow simulation.

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Study shows 99% of used lead-based vehicle batteries in the EU are collected and recycled

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Ninety-nine percent of used lead-based automotive batteries in the EU available for collection are recycled, making them one of the most recycled consumer products, according to a new report by consultancy IHS. The spent electrolyte (diluted sulfuric acid, approximately 30% of the weight) is treated in a variety of ways.

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Mitsubishi Motors and the Thai Government to start joint study for fleet testing of i-MiEV; MMC adding third plant in Thailand for global small car production

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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and the government of Thailand agreed to start joint study for fleet testing of electric vehicles (EV). The third factory will be built adjacent to the first and second factories, and is planned to start mass production in March 2012. It will produce the “global small” 1.0-1.2L

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Mazda continues supporting algae biofuels research

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Mazda continues to be involved in joint research projects and studies as part of an ongoing industry-academia-government collaboration to promote the wide-spread adoption of biofuels from microalgae growth. Improving productivity and reducing costs are fundamental to the widespread future availability of algae biofuels.

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Study of Sustainable Value in Automobile Manufacturing Finds Mixed Performance for Most OEMs, BMW and Toyota as the Clear Leaders

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The research project was undertaken by researchers working at Euromed Management School Marseille, Queen’s University Belfast and IZT—Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment in Berlin. Economic crisis, energy crisis, climate crisis and recent global developments have affected the automobile industry like few other sectors.

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KPMG study identifies 10 sustainability “megaforces” with accelerating impacts on business; imperative of sustainability changing the automotive business radically

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In a new study, KPMG International has identified 10 “megaforces” that will significantly affect corporate growth globally over the next two decades. The report calculated that if companies had to pay for the full environmental costs of their production, they would lose 41 cents for every US$1 in earnings on average. Source: KPMG.

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Russian researchers find simple, efficient way to strengthen aluminum-based composite materials

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Previously, researchers were limited to the study of systems in which it is obviously impossible to obtain an effective reinforcing structure. A feature of the new development is the high reinforcing ability of the chemical compounds with ultrafine structure: the diameter of the reinforcing elements does not exceed several tens of nanometers.